Eli Cranor takes job at MorriltonCLARKSVILLE -- The Clarksville Panthers "Blast Furnace" lost heat on Wednesday after Panthers head football coach Eli Cranor accepted an assistant coaching position with 5A-West Conference foe Morrilton. Cranor said he informed the team as soon as he was able to. "That was maybe the toughest thing I've done in the last two and a half years," he said. "There's some guys who've been in the foxhole with me their whole careers, especially that var...

Warriors boast numbers at summer workoutsLAMAR -- Warriors head football coach Josh Jones said he feels good about his team's progress through the offseason. For one thing -- numbers are up. For another, the Jones said the players have shown up with good, hard-working attitudes. "Numbers during spring football were somewhere around 45 kids," Jones said. "We may have lost a couple, but that's about 10-12 kids more than last year, and they are working hard. We've had a lot of kids turn...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Post 20 takes down MorriltonMORRILTON -- The Russellville American Legion Post 20 Patriots grabbed their second win of the season on Thursday against Morrilton by a score of 4-2. Post 20 scored three runs in the top of the first inning and one in the top of the third. Morrilton scored its two runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings. In the first inning, Joel Barker kicked things off with an RBI double to score Mason Huie. Barker later scored on a ground out by ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Sitkowski named to Arkansas Track and Field Academic teamLITTLE ROCK -- Russellville High School graduate Ashton Sitkowski was one of 10 athletes in the state to be named to the Arkansas Academic Track and Field team during a banquet Saturday. To be considered for the honor, nominees must hold at least a 3.5 GPA, score a 25 on the ACT and have qualified and competed in the state track meet. Sitkowski more than qualified. She didn't just compete in the Class 6A State Track Meet -- she won the high ju...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSONsports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Patriots snap three-game skidThe Russellville American Legion Post 20 Patriots snapped a three-game skid on Monday with a 5-4 victory over Rogers at Tech Field. Rogers took a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning, but Russellville (1-3) tied the score in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. Cole Dawson got the walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Patriots to victory. “Dawson is going to be a freshman,” manager Zach Hettinga said after the g...

Pirates seek answers at OBUDOVER — Pirates head coach Greg Smith said today’s two-day team camp at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) will shine some light on who his starting offensive and defensive players will be. “We graduated quite a few linemen,” he said. “A lot of our focus has been turned toward the linemen and trying to develop some sophomores and finding which of these returning juniors and seniors are ready to step in to a starting spot.” Because the Pirates b...

Sand Lizards march on without PriceDARDANELLE — Assistant coach Phil Vega is holding down the fieldhouse as the Dardanelle Sand Lizards search for a new head football coach. Vega is working to make sure the transition from the old to the new is as seamless as possible. "I told our athletic director, Larry Walker, that I'd be more than happy to run the football program until there is a new coach," Vega said. Former head coach Josh Price accepted a position with the Stuttgart Ric...

Creamer has inventive ways for ball to meet hoopStuart Creamer hits trick shots. Creamer, who is also the head basketball coach for the Danville Lady Little Johns, films the shots and posts them on Facebook for his friends and family to enjoy. In one video, Creamer launched the ball from the press scaffolding on top of the bleachers, bounced the ball once on the court and through the net. In another, he ricocheted the ball off the roof of his house and through the hoop. A third video showed...

Conference change means more travel for someWhen the Arkansas Activities Associations (AAA) biannual conference realignment kicks off prior to the 2016 football season, some teams can expect to see extended travel times and some late Friday nights returning home. For example, El Dorado and Siloam Springs are in the same football conference — a five hour trip, according to Google Maps. Russellville to El Dorado is over three hours, as is a trip to fellow 6A-West conference foe, Texarkana...

Post 20 loses three in a rowThe Russellville American Legion Post 20 Patriots lost their third straight baseball game on Thursday at Tech Field 13-6 to Fort Smith. Fort Smith went up 3-1 after the second inning, but the Patriots pulled within 4-3 after the third. Russellville tied the score 5-5 in the bottom of the fourth, but Forth Smith outscored the Patriots 6-1 in the final four innings to take the win. In the first inning, Post 20 scored on an RBI single from Rylie ...

Russell takes over as Hector head coachHECTOR — Kyle Russell isn’t having trouble adjusting to his role as the Hector Wildcats head football coach. Russell called the offense at Hector for four years and worked closely with former head coach Mark Taylor, who left the position to become superintendent of the Hector School District. Not much is changing, Russell said. “With me being the OC for the last four years, it allowed me to step right into it,” Russell explained. “The kids are...

Conference change creates opportunities, challengesThe Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) conference realignments go into effect prior to the 2016 football season. Many teams have moved up or down in classification, but perhaps the most noted change is the separation of the 7A/6A blended conferences. In the past, Class 6A teams had to play against Class 7A schools throughout the season and did not separate until the playoffs. The Cyclones, who were previously in the 7A/6A-Central Conference...

RSD hires Lance Parker to replace Chad HarbisonThe Russellville School Board hired Lance Parker to replace Chad Harbison during Tuesday’s School Board meeting. Harbison accepted a position at Elkins. Parker, who was an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Bryant, is the grandson of coaching legend Red Parker, who coached at Clemson, The Citadel, Arkansas A&M, Southern State University, Delta State University and Ouachita Baptist. “Lance is, first of all, a good dude,” Cyclones h...

Post 20 drops openerThe Russellville American Legion Post 20 Patriots dropped their home opener 3-2 against Cabot on Tuesday at Tech Field. Cabot scored all three of its runs in the top of the fourth inning. Russellville added runs in the bottom of the fourth and sixth innings. Jacob Sharp started the scoring with a solo home run. Nick Hagerty set the final score with an RBI double to score Jordan Duvall. At bat, Sharp was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Hagerty was 1-for-3...

Price accepts job at StuttgartDARDANELLE — The Sand Lizards will have to face the 2016 season without head coach Josh Price next season. Price accepted a position as head coach and athletic director for the Stuttgart Ricebirds. Dardanelle will have to adjust to the change quick — Price started at Stuttgart at 8 a.m. today. "I'm excited about it," Price said. "It's a football town, and I coached there in 2006, so I'm familiar with the community. It is bittersweet, though. W...

5 things learned at RHS team campRussellville Cyclones head coach Billy Dawson saw plenty to get excited for during the Russellville team camp last Thursday. The Cyclones hosted Greenwood and Vilonia at Cyclone Stadium in Russellville's first "live" football of the 2016 season. We asked Dawson five things he learned about the Cyclones during Thursday's team Camp. 1. Physicality Dawson: "Physically, we are so far ahead of where we were a year ago. That stood out to me. Just ho...

Do you believe in magic?I am starting to believe there is something to the superstitions many coaches cling to. Baseball is famous for its superstitions — from the Curse of the Bambino, to players performing complicated routines before stepping up to the plate or refusing to change their socks after a win. Superstitions aren't isolated to baseball though. Former Russellville head basketball coach Codey Mann, for example, drank the same type of soda during every game,...

Young named to All-Star coaching staffRussellville Lady Cyclones head soccer coach Kelly Young couldn’t remember exactly how long it’s been since she has coached on the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star soccer team. “Probably eight to 10 years,” she said. “It’s been a while.” The AHSCA named Young as assistant coach to the East team on Monday. “It’s cool to be recognized because it’s chosen by all the AAA [Arkansas Activities Association] soccer coaches,” Young sai...

McGhee named 4A-4 baseball Coach of the YearDOVER — Pirates head coach Jason McGhee earned his sixth 4A-4 Coach of the Year nod after finishing the 2016 season 22-6 with both the conference and district titles in tow. McGhee downplayed his importance in the success. “You have to have good players to get stuff like that,” he said. “We were fortunate enough to have a good year this year, and it was just one of those things.” The Pirates have won the 4A-4 District Tournament three times in...

Sand Lizards still high on state winDARDANELLE — Sand Lizards head soccer coach Bryan Hardaway hasn't touched his beard with a razor in 13 years — but his team's Class 4A state championship will change that. Hardaway promised his team he would shave the beard at the team's award banquet if they brought home the title. "I don't know what they are happier about," he said. "Winning the title, or me shaving my beard off. They keep saying, 'coach, we won, but you have to shave your b...